Bears held captive by animal trainers, in zoos, carnivals, or kept as pets have been responsible for several attacks. There have also been unusual cases in which a person entered a bear's cage and was then mauled.

Bear attacks are extremely rare.[1][2][3] Attacks are for predatory, territorial, or protective reasons.[4] Most wilderness attacks have occurred when there was only one to two persons in the vicinity, and no attacks have ever been recorded against groups of six or more.[5][6]

Patel was hiking with four friends in Apshawa Preserve when a bear started following them. The hikers ran in different directions, and found that Patel was missing when they regrouped. Authorities found Patel's body after searching for two hours. A black bear found in the vicinity was killed.[7] According to the State Department of Environmental Protection, the last fatal bear attack in New Jersey was in 1852.[7]

Weafer, a Suncor worker was attacked at the remote North Steepbank oil sands mine site while walking back to work after a trip to the washroom. Efforts by co-workers to scare off the bear were unsuccessful. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police shot and killed the bear upon arrival. A preliminary investigation determined that the attack was predatory.[8]

Weaver was attacked by a black bear while walking back to his cabin on George Lake, according to his wife, who was able to flee inside the cabin and was uninjured. A 230 lb (104.3 kg) adult male black bear on the scene was killed by troopers and found to have some of Weaver's remains in his stomach.[9]

Hollingsworth was attacked by a 250 lb (113.4 kg) black bear while walking her dog at a country club. Nearly a month later and after eleven surgeries, she died from a massive brain hemorrhage, which doctors believe was a result of the attack. The bear was tracked, shot and killed.[10]

Adolph's remains were found by police dogs after she was reported missing. She was an elder in the Xaxli'p First Nation. There was evidence that bears fed on Adolph's remains, and tried to enter her house. An autopsy confirmed that she died from a bear attack. Five suspected bears were killed by conservation officers, and DNA tests confirmed that one of the dead bears killed Adolph.[11]

Kandra was a bear caretaker on property that kept exotic pets. The bear was out of its cage for feeding. Prior to the attack, the property's owner had his license to exhibit animals revoked, but was still allowed to keep the animals on his property.[12]

Huber's husband encountered a bear outside of his house. When he went inside to retrieve a rifle, the bear came into the house through a window. After Huber and her spouse fled the house, the bear pursued and killed Huber. Huber's husband shot the bear dead.[13]

While on a hunting trip near Normal Wells, Novotny was charged and struck by a bear. Friends reported Novotny had just killed a moose and was prepping his prize when the bear "came out of nowhere." He died on the scene. Authorities later found and killed the bear responsible for his death.[14]

Stewart was conducting research alone in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in northwest Wyoming. After he failed to return, a search found his body.[15] The coroner suspects it was a grizzly bear, but the species hasn't officially been determined.

Cross, a hunter, was killed by a mother bear when he accidentally got between her and her cubs. His body was found near his backpack. RCMP said it appeared he wandered into the area where the mother and cub were feeding on a dead deer.[16]

White was backpacking alone along the Toklat River. After hikers found an abandoned backpack and torn clothing, rangers investigated and found a male grizzly bear sitting on White's remains. The bear was shot and killed by an Alaska State Trooper. A necropsy of the bear and photographs recovered from White's camera confirmed the attack.[17]

The photographs in White's camera showed that he was taking photos of the bear in a span of eight minutes from 50 yards (46 m) to 100 yards (91 m).[18] It was the first fatal bear attack recorded in Denali National Park.[17]

After passers-by spotted an unattended skiff, they investigated and encountered a grizzly bear sow and two cubs. Alaska State troopers and Sitka Mountain rescue personnel then found evidence of a campsite and fire on the beach. There was evidence of a struggle, and upon following a trail of disturbed vegetation, they found Puerta's body, cached and partially eaten.[19]

Wallace's remains were found by hikers on the Mary Mountain Trail, northeast of Old Faithful.[20] Wallace was hiking alone.[21] An autopsy showed that Wallace died from a bear attack.[21] According to a report released by Yellowstone rangers, park officials attempted to give Wallace a lecture about bear safety, but he was not interested, calling himself a "grizzly bear expert".[22]

DNA evidence later determined that the sow that killed Brian Matayoshi the month before was in the vicinity of Wallace's corpse, though it was not proved that this bear killed Wallace. The bear was killed by park officials.[23] Evidence showed that Wallace was attacked after sitting down on a log to eat a snack and the attack was predatory, rather than defensive.[23][24]

Matayoshi and his wife were hiking the Wapiti Lake Trail, and came upon a mother grizzly bear in an open meadow. The couple began to walk away, and the bear charged. After attempting to run away, Matayoshi was fatally bitten and clawed. Matayoshi's wife hid behind a tree, was lifted from the ground by the bear, and dropped. She played dead, and the bear left the area. She was not injured.[25][26]

An initial investigation by the National Park Service found the bear's actions were defensive against a perceived threat to her cubs. Since the attack was not predatory and the bear had no known violent history towards humans, no immediate action was taken towards the bear, although it was later euthanized after it was found to be at the site of another fatal attack later that summer.[23][25][26] A later investigation determined that the couple running from the bear was a mistake, and the fatal attack was a "one in 3 million occurrence".[27]

Kammer was in his tent at Soda Butte Campground when a mother bear attacked and dragged him 25 feet (7.6 m) away. Two other campers in separate campsites were also attacked: a teenager was bitten in the leg, and a woman was bitten in the arm and leg. The bear was caught in a trap set at the campground using pieces of a culvert and Kammer's tent.[28] Later, the bear was euthanized, and her cubs were sent to ZooMontana.[29] The mother bear's unusual predatory behavior was noted by authorities.[29]

Evert, a field botanist, was mauled by a grizzly bear while hiking in the Kitty Creek Drainage area of the Shoshone National Forest, just east of Yellowstone National Park. The bear was trapped and tranquilized earlier in the day by a Grizzly Bear research team. Two days after the attack, the bear was shot and killed from a helicopter by wildlife officials.[30]

Initially it was reported that Evert ignored posted warnings to avoid the area due to the potential danger involved with the bear research.[30] However, the sheriff's deputy who recovered the body and members of Evert's family stated that the warning signs were no longer present.[31] A report released the following month confirmed that the warning signs were removed, though it also asserted that Evert knew there was a bear research study being conducted in the area.[32] Evert's wife filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government, which was dismissed by district court judge Nancy D. Freudenthal.[33][34]

Walz, whose husband had an expired license to keep exotic animals, was attacked while cleaning her pet bear's cage. She tried to distract the bear by throwing dog food to the opposite end of the cage. A neighbor shot and killed the bear.[35]

Munson had been feeding bears for a decade, and was repeatedly warned by wildlife officials. After a bear was injured in a fight with an older and bigger bear, Munson left food out to help the injured bear. The older bear came back to Munson's property, forced its way past a wire fence, and mauled Munson. Later, wildlife officials killed two bears on Munson's property. One of the bears had a necropsy which revealed evidence that it consumed Munson.[36][37]

Ives was grabbed from a family tent in American Fork Canyon, and mauled. State wildlife officials killed the bear, which had entered the campsite the night before.[40] Ives' family sued the U.S. Forest Service because there was no warning about the bear's presence.[41][42] A judge awarded the family $1.95 million.[43] It was the first known fatal black bear attack in Utah.[42]

Robinson was fatally mauled while picking plums north of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Robinson's family were investigating the area with an RCMP officer later that day, and were also attacked. The officer shot and killed the bear.[50]

Bradley was attacked and partially consumed by a mother bear and a cub, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) upstream from Elkmont, Tennessee. It was the first fatal bear attack in a southeastern U.S. National Park. While hovering over Bradley's corpse, the bears were shot and killed by park rangers.[1][60]

Wagner was reported missing after not returning from a hunting trip. His body was found less than 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) from his parked truck. An autopsy revealed that he had been killed by a grizzly bear, which was shot by wildlife officers.[61][62]

A bear trained to perform in movies turned on its handler, fatally biting him in the neck. Prior to the attack, the bear was featured in the movie Semi-Pro. Pepper Spray was used to subdue the bear.[63][64]

Peters' body was found 200 metres (660 ft) from his parked truck. He was on a hunting trip. An autopsy confirmed that he died due to a grizzly bear attack. The bear that attacked Peters was captured and killed the following April.[65][66]

The Huffmans were attacked while in their tent at a campsite along the Hulahula River 12 miles (19 km) upriver from Kaktovik.[70] Two days later the campsite was discovered by three rafters while the bear was still nearby. The bear chased the rafters down the river for over half a mile until it finally gave up. Later, a North Slope Borough Police officer investigating the scene shot and killed the bear at the campsite.[71]

Dube was killed while jogging with two friends on the Bench Trail. After an initial attack, Dube climbed a tree while her friends sought help. The bear brought Dube down from the tree and mauled her.[72][73]

Fish and wildlife officers shot and killed the bear.[73] At the time of the attack, the trail was closed, and the public was told to avoid it.[74] A few days beforehand, the bear had been relocated from Canmore to Banff National Park.[72]

Treadwell and Huguenard's corpses were found by their pilot at Kaflia Bay. Treadwell was famous for his books and documentaries on living with wild bears in Alaska. State Troopers investigating the incident recovered an audiotape of the attack. The two were killed on the last night before their scheduled pickup after spending several months in the Alaskan bush.[75] The attack is chronicled in the 2005 American documentary film Grizzly Man by German director Werner Herzog.

Timothy Hilston, 50, male

02001-10-30-0000October 30, 2001

Wild

Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area, Montana

Hilston was attacked as he field dressed an elk in Western Montana.[76] A female bear and her cubs suspected in the attack were killed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials.[77] Hilston's widow sued federal and state agencies for negligence, and the lawsuits were dismissed by District Court judge Donald W. Molloy.[78]

McConnell died from injuries while defending herself and her son from a black bear attack on a boardwalk to the hot springs. Kitchen heard the attack in progress, and was killed while attempting to rescue. McConnell's son and a 20-year-old man were also injured. The bear was shot while standing over the victims.[80][81]

McConnell's son received a Star of Courage for his attempt to save his mother. Kitchen also received the honor, posthumously.[82]

While they were setting up camp on Bates Island, a black bear broke both of their necks. The bear then dragged their bodies into the woods and consumed the remains. When police arrived five days later, the bear was guarding the bodies. A park naturalist called the attack "right off the scale of normal bear behavior".[87][88]

Cates was killed while hiking near Soldotna, Alaska in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Troopers found Cates' rifle, spent shell casings, and blood nearby which suggested that Cates may have shot the bear.[90][91]

Evanoff was hiking on the Bearpaw Ridge, 72 kilometres (45 mi) northeast of Prince George, British Columbia. He encountered a grizzly feeding on a moose kill about a half-mile from his cabin. He was bitten on the neck, but his body was not mauled or eaten by the bear.[93][94]

Percy-Lancaster and his wife were setting up camp in an isolated area of the Tonquin Valley. They surprised a bear, and began running away. The bear initially caught Percy-Lancaster's wife, and then he distracted the bear, which turned on him.[107][108]

The six-year-old, his mother, and sister were walking down a road when they were approached by a grizzly that had just been feeding at the town dump. The family fled, but the boy was chased down by the bear and killed. The bear devoured most of the victim before villagers could kill the animal.[109]

Ray was killed while on a tree planting project approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) south of Fort Nelson. He climbed a tree to avoid the bear, but fell, and was attacked. The bear was later shot by a helicopter pilot.[113]

Seivenpiper was killed while hunting alone. The bear dragged Seivenpiper's body almost 1-mile (1.6 km) uphill to a cache. When searchers approached the cache, the bear charged, and was shot and killed.[119][120]

Gibbs was last seen alive following and photographing a bear with cubs at Elk Mountain in Glacier National Park. Investigators recovered film of the female approaching in attack mode at 50 yards (46 m).[122][123]

While carnival workers were setting up, a bear was taken out of its cage and chained to a tree. Johns, whose parents were carnival workers, walked by and was attacked. The bear had previously attacked children.[143]

Richardson was attacked while camping on private property, just west of Rocky Mountain National Park, and north of Grand Lake. The bear was later killed by a professional hunter. This was the first fatal black bear attack in Colorado.[145]

While hunting alone for sheep west of Pincher Creek in Southern Alberta, Adams was mauled by a grizzly bear. Adams was found by two other hunters, and died when rescuers were removing him from the area.[148][149]

While hiking with a friend in British Columbia's Glacier National Park, Chapman rounded a bend to find a grizzly bear charging. The bear first attacked Chapman's friend, who initially resisted, but left him alone after he played dead. The bear then attacked Chapman, who fought back and was quickly killed. Chapman's friend sustained serious injuries, but was able to hike out for help. The grizzly bear that attacked and her three cubs were soon found and killed.[151][152]

Reeves was camping alone on the Alaskan Peninsula, near Cold Bay. A fisherman discovered a camp that looked like it was damaged by a bear, and found only Reeves' shoes. A helicopter spotted and shot a grizzly bear near the camp. Later, they found Reeves' remains, and an autopsy on the bear revealed human remains.[153]

Etherington, a biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service, and a photographer were helping with the relocation of a troublesome grizzly bear in Banff National Park. The bear had been recently trapped and sedated. When the two men approached the bear, it charged and attacked Etherington.[154][155]

Duckitt and a friend were picnicking by Okanagan Lake. They went on a walk up a hill and encountered the bear standing on its hind feet. The girls ran away, and Duckitt was caught. A man tracked down the bear and killed it with six shots.[165]

Koons was camping with a group at the Trout Lake campsite. A bear invaded their camp, and while other campers climbed up trees, Koons was caught in her sleeping bag, and attacked.

Although Helgeson and Koons were killed on the same night, these were separate attacks by different bears approximately 9 miles (14 km) apart. Both bears were killed two nights after their attacks.[171][172][173]

Hooper was fishing alone when attacked 20 miles (32 km) from Cadomin, Alberta. His mutilated body was found in a stream.[175] Three days later, a forest ranger shot a bear .5 miles (0.80 km) from where Hooper's body was recovered.[176] It was later discovered that the bear's stomach contained human hair.[177]

Gaier and a black bear were found dead at a remote mountain cabin. An investigator concluded that Gaier shot the bear after it entered his cabin, and before dying, the bear fatally clawed Gaier.[180][181]

Adams was missing after hunting near the Continental Divide northeast of Missoula. His body was found smashed in three parts. Laboratory studies showed evidence that Adams was in a fight with the bear, which was described as "probably a grizzly".[183]

While elk hunting, a hunter in Scott's group was attacked, and the bear was shot and wounded. When they went back to kill the bear, Scott's gun jammed and the bear mauled him. The bear was later killed by another hunter.[184][185]

Pomeranky was taken by a bear outside of her home on the Marquette National Forest (now the Hiawatha National Forest) in Michigan. She was dragged 100 yards (91 m). The bear was tracked and killed.[188][189]

Herrick was hunting in West Townshend, Vermont, and his body was found with a blackened face and scratches. His rifle and bear tracks were nearby. A theory is that Herrick shot the bear and thought it was dead, and was squeezed to death when he approached.[190]

Hansen left her cabin to go to the restroom. As she turned a corner, she surprised a bear and was mauled. Hansen was taken to the hospital and died four days later due to injuries sustained during the attack.[194][195]

Hansen's sister sought, and eventually successfully received compensation for expenses incurred to care for Martha. Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a bill in 1944 granting the family $1894.95.[196]

On his walk home from school, Taylor stopped to feed an apple to a bear tethered in front of an inn. The bear mauled Taylor and crushed him against a wire cage. Motorists stopped and used sticks and stones to try to separate the bear from Taylor.

Eventually, a man operating a nearby roadside stand came and shot and killed the bear. An examination revealed that the bear hadn't eaten in two days. The Inn had two bears that were trapped five years previously in the Adirondacks, and were frequently fed by passers-by. Both bears were killed.[200][201]

Wyman, a zookeeper, was attacked by two grizzly bears at the Denver Zoo after spraying them with a water hose. It was speculated that the bears were in a foul mood due to warm weather. The bears were shot.[204]

Macdonald's mutilated body was initially found in the wilderness 20 miles (32 km) north of Dawson. Macdonald's corpse was moved to a cabin, and before the police arrived, the bear broke into the cabin and scattered the remains.[205] Macdonald was a woodcutter who lived alone in a shack on the Yukon River.[206]

Earl, a zookeeper at the Cleveland Brookside Zoo, was mauled by a brown bear when feeding the bear in its pen. After a vicious struggle, police shot the bear. Earl was also mistakenly shot, but it was determined that he was already dead.[207] Earlier in the day, Earl was fired from his job by the zoo superintendent.[208]

Vetter, a buffalo hunter, had stated to a fellow hunter a week before, that "he would be going out for some bear." A week later, another hunter seeking shelter from rain, investigated his cabin, which had been ransacked by a grizzly bear, and found Vetter dead in the cabin. A newspaper found, had text written in blood by Vetter before his death, describing his battle with a grizzly bear, and ending with the words "I'm dying." The hunter, and another man, searched for signs of the bear, and found Vetter's hat, two empty rifle shells, and his rifle with a shell jammed in its chamber. Vetter was buried in Old Trail Town, Cody, Wyoming.[215]

Robinson's dead body was found near train tracks. There was evidence of bear tracks and a "terrible struggle".[216]

John Dennison, 82, male

June 1881

Wild

Happy Lake Isle, Ontario

This was Ontario's first recorded fatal black bear attack. Dennison was inspecting his bear traps on Happy Lake Isle, in what is now Algonquin Park. After discovering a bear caught in the trap a struggle between the two ensued, ending in both their deaths.[217]

One of the most successful bear hunters, he killed over 100 grizzlies during the 1800s. In June 1886, he wounded a grizzly bear near the headwaters of the Salmon River, but not enough to cripple the animal. After pursuing it into a dense stand of trees, he was attacked by the bear and mauled, with the bear biting into his chest. Within a few minutes his entire chest had been crushed by the one bite. The bear was driven off by his companions.[218]

A bear hunter, Wilson was hunting grizzly bears and shot one near Oak Creek, Arizona. He followed the bear into a thicket and was attacked. He tried to escape by climbing a tree, but the bear pulled him down and killed him.[218]

Hyrum and his brother shot and wounded a grizzly bear which they pursued, thinking it would soon expire. While brother George was repairing his gun, Hyrum went to shoot the bear but was mauled and killed when the bear crushed his skull. The bear was shot and killed by George's repaired rifle.[218]

An experienced bear hunter who hunted and killed many bears, Sublette shot and wounded a bear after being separated from his hunting party near present-day Santa Monica in 1854. He was then mauled but stabbed the bear to death with his knife and with the help of his dog. His dog survived, but Sublette died seven days later due to his injuries.[218]

A trapper and hunter who hunted grizzly bears even in his older ages, Slover shot and wounded one on Mount San Antonio near his cabin. The large wounded bear crawled into the brush, and Slover reloaded and followed, where he was attacked, torn to pieces, and died.[218]

Lebec was out hunting grizzlies. He dispatched one with a well-placed shot and, assuming it to be dead, approached it. However, the bear rallied and lunged, throwing him to the ground and breaking his neck. He was killed instantly, but the bear was later killed by Native American hunters.[223]